Letters to the Editor
6 May, 2026
Letter to the Editor.
Letter to the Editor regarding the proposed Moss Vale Gas Plant.
Australians rightly expect that elected representatives and decision-makers act in the best
interests of the communities they serve.
In regional areas like the Southern Highlands, there is a strong sense of trust — a belief that common sense will prevail, that the right thing will be done, and that someone will step in if something isn’t right.
But that trust can work against communities.
People assume others will raise concerns. They assume there will be proper consultation. They assume developments of this scale will be transparent.
And too often, that assumption is misplaced.
Because proposals like the 673 megawatt gas-fired power station at Moss Vale can progress quietly — with limited awareness and minimal engagement — until they are already well advanced.
Like many in this community, I chose to live in the Southern Highlands for a reason.
We didn’t move here to live in an industrial corridor. We chose this place for its rural character, its open landscape, its quiet, and its sense of community.
That is what is now at risk.
This is not minor infrastructure. It is large-scale industrial energy infrastructure proposed within a semi-rural community, in close proximity to homes, farms, schools and aged care facilities. The proponent’s own documents confirm residential properties within approximately 500 metres.
And yet the site continues to be described as though it were an isolated industrial zone. It is not — and accuracy matters when decisions of this magnitude are being made.
Equally concerning is the lack of meaningful community consultation. Many residents are only now becoming aware of the proposal, after it is already moving through the planning system.
That is not how projects of this scale should be introduced. It erodes trust and undermines confidence in the process.
There is also a fundamental imbalance at the heart of this proposal.
This power station is not being built for the people of the Southern Highlands. It is being built to serve a private data centre. The impacts — visual, environmental and social — will be borne locally, while the benefits are largely private.
We are also told this will bring jobs. But facilities of this nature are typically highly automated, with minimal long-term employment. Construction benefits are often overstated, with major contractors and specialist crews brought in from outside the region.
At the same time, governments are telling communities we are transitioning energy systems and reducing emissions. Yet here we are considering a new, large-scale gas-fired power station built for private use. That contradiction deserves scrutiny.
There are also broader environmental concerns, including the combined impact of this development as part of a staged proposal, and its proximity to a watercourse connected to the Wingecarribee River system.
Importantly, alternatives exist. Material submitted to a NSW Parliament inquiry into data centres highlights more appropriate regional locations and Renewable Energy Zones, where this type of development could be better aligned with infrastructure and community expectations.
So the question is not whether development should occur.
It is whether this is the right place.
Based on the scale, the proximity to residents, the lack of consultation, and the long-term consequences — it is not.
This proposal represents a permanent change to the character of the Southern Highlands. Once approved, it cannot be undone. And if it is considered appropriate here, it sets a precedent for developments like it to follow.
The community is not opposed to progress. But we are entitled to expect that it happens in the right place, in the right way, and with proper respect for the people who live here.
Right now, many in the community are still waiting for a response from those elected to represent them.
That silence is becoming harder to ignore.
Will McCarthy, Burradoo
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